Dear Joan, your writing almost made me cry. It's so honest and lovely to read. Now, the sunlight is falling over the artistic mess in my working space. The cars roll by and it's all fine. Take care you strong woman.
I think of Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning," his experiences in a German death camp during World War II and his triumphant survival. He found peace and meaning in the vile, degrading grind of life in the camp, even as others succumbed to their hopelessness and died. Hope, in the present moment, shows me the beauty in my sometimes mundane life. Thanks for putting it into words far better than I could, Joan!
Thank you for reminding me of that wonderful sequence in "American Beauty". I have known this awareness on and off throughout my life and now live grounded in it. The particular music that goes with it has been on my playlist for years. I have listened to it hundreds of times and never tire of the mood that it invokes. I wept with joy and am very grateful for you and your posts.
May I humbly offer a possibility for something else you can be grateful for? Your presence and compassion shine through your writing. (And I can safely assume these also are felt in other forms of connection with us, real and virtual.) May you be filled with gratitude at the help and support you bring to your many readers.
Thank you, and let me say that I am deeply grateful to all the people who read my writing, those who leave a comment, all those I meet with on Zoom, and those who send me such generous donations. I feel very blessed to be in this with all of you. ❤️🙏
Yes, suffering can bring acceptance and joy or total collapse. One of my dearest friends was in Auschwitz when he was 7 years old. He is one of the most positive, humorous, joyful people I know. My father was in a Russian gulag for nearly 3 years; he suffered from depression and PTSD for the rest of his life.
So much of this particular psychological patterning can be deduced from his experience.But, alleluia, amen, Alhamdulila, I knew how totally fucked up this psyche was at an early age and as as a result, placed myself in a stream of blessings that continues to this day despite all appearances.
And yes, American Beauty is also one of my favorite movies too...
Thank you for your comment. I think some people have an innate buoyancy and capacity for coming through suffering with love and joy still alive in their hearts, while for others, this may simply be impossible--the undertow is simply too strong. Genetics, life experiences, nature and nurture, the condition of the brain and nervous system may all play a role. And as you suggest, under the right conditions, we can to some degree make a "choice" to cultivate gratitude and to work with the bodymind in various helpful ways. 🙏❤️
Beautiful, thank you, brought tears to my eyes. 🙏🏻❤️
❤️❤️❤️
Thank You, Joan ❤️🙏
Beautiful!
Thanks so much Joan 🙏 💓
Lovely, Joan. Thank you.
Love all your posts but this one really landed at my core.
How wonderful! Thank you. This is it. 💗
Dear Joan, your writing almost made me cry. It's so honest and lovely to read. Now, the sunlight is falling over the artistic mess in my working space. The cars roll by and it's all fine. Take care you strong woman.
I think of Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning," his experiences in a German death camp during World War II and his triumphant survival. He found peace and meaning in the vile, degrading grind of life in the camp, even as others succumbed to their hopelessness and died. Hope, in the present moment, shows me the beauty in my sometimes mundane life. Thanks for putting it into words far better than I could, Joan!
Yes, that's how it is. Thank you for teaching us to flow with life as it is
Thank you for reminding me of that wonderful sequence in "American Beauty". I have known this awareness on and off throughout my life and now live grounded in it. The particular music that goes with it has been on my playlist for years. I have listened to it hundreds of times and never tire of the mood that it invokes. I wept with joy and am very grateful for you and your posts.
Yes American Beauty has that quality for me as well. The music is so evocative.....
May I humbly offer a possibility for something else you can be grateful for? Your presence and compassion shine through your writing. (And I can safely assume these also are felt in other forms of connection with us, real and virtual.) May you be filled with gratitude at the help and support you bring to your many readers.
Thank you, and let me say that I am deeply grateful to all the people who read my writing, those who leave a comment, all those I meet with on Zoom, and those who send me such generous donations. I feel very blessed to be in this with all of you. ❤️🙏
Beautiful, Joan!
Yes, suffering can bring acceptance and joy or total collapse. One of my dearest friends was in Auschwitz when he was 7 years old. He is one of the most positive, humorous, joyful people I know. My father was in a Russian gulag for nearly 3 years; he suffered from depression and PTSD for the rest of his life.
So much of this particular psychological patterning can be deduced from his experience.But, alleluia, amen, Alhamdulila, I knew how totally fucked up this psyche was at an early age and as as a result, placed myself in a stream of blessings that continues to this day despite all appearances.
And yes, American Beauty is also one of my favorite movies too...
🙏❤️🌹💕😘
Thank you for your comment. I think some people have an innate buoyancy and capacity for coming through suffering with love and joy still alive in their hearts, while for others, this may simply be impossible--the undertow is simply too strong. Genetics, life experiences, nature and nurture, the condition of the brain and nervous system may all play a role. And as you suggest, under the right conditions, we can to some degree make a "choice" to cultivate gratitude and to work with the bodymind in various helpful ways. 🙏❤️
Lovely piece.
Thank you Joan. Every experience is a call to meet Love. Every piece of life is so precious...Take care.
Beautiful, Joan.
Thank you.